1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a natural antioxidant composition, more particularly to a natural antioxidant composition of a processed grain food used for maintaining human health and preventing from diseases so to assist a medical treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is believed in the field of medicine and biochemistry that one of the causes of maturity-onset diseases such as arteriosclerosis, cancer, cardiopathy, diabetes mellitus is due to active oxygens or its free radicals (hereinafter referred as "active oxygen") generated in the tissues or cells of a living body. The relationship between the disease and the active oxygen has been studied.
The active oxygen causes merits and demerits in the living tissue. Namely, the active oxygen at a adequate amount performs a part of the defensive mechanism against an infection. On the other hand, when the active oxygen excessively generated in the tissue, such surplus active oxygen causes a reaction of lipid peroxidation by means of non-control denatures nucleic acids and proteins. As a result, the surplus active oxygen becomes the causes of diseases of adult people and incurable diseases. This surplus active oxygen is a great problem as unnecessary oxidation in the living tissue. For this, the inhibiting enzymes effectively preventing such a so-call toxicity of active oxygen are generated in the living tissue. Superoxide dismutase (hereinafter referred as "SOD") is well known as one of the inhibiting enzymes. There is a treatment method for curing the disease by injecting SOD into the living tissue. SOD is administered only by means of the subcutaneous injection. The duration of effect of SOD is only for about ten minutes. The effect of SOD is not confirmed, when SOD is used in the form of an oral medicine. The advantageous effect of SOD is restricted, so that it is effective against only the disease caused by lacks of SOD. There are six kinds of active oxygens concerning the reaction of lipid peroxidation and the other four kinds.
Japanese patent application publication No. 61-29711 discloses a method for making a nutrient food comprising the steps of: mixing a parched and milled rice flour with bran, yellow flour and green tea flour; adding Aspergillus oryzae or Koji thereto to make a powdered mixture material; and dipping the powdered material to the mixed vegetable oil comprising sesame oil and soybean oil for four days to extract effective contents with the mixed oil. Although this nutrient food against the active oxygen has SOD-like effect, but its effect is insufficient. It is therefore desired to develop a composition having a high antioxidant activity in the living tissue by an oral administration thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,891 discloses an antioxidant composition of natural products for scavenging the active oxygen which is manufactured through the steps of: heating a plant seed, grains and germs; adding a microorganism; brewing or fermenting the mixture; and adding a vegetable oil extracted from heated plants. This publication also discloses another antioxidant composition produced by adding vitamin C or derivatives thereof to the forgoing composition.
The natural antioxidant composition has an activity for counteracting the active oxygens excessively generated in the living tissue. It is believed that, when the active oxygens are excessively generated the defensive mechanism against an infection in the living tissue, the surplus active oxygens cause cerebrovascular disease, circulation disease, eye disease, diabetes mellitus or cancer, and influence an age-related disease, inflammation or the like. However, the natural antioxidant composition is effective against diseases of adult people and incurable diseases such as malignant dysarthrosis rheumatism, Behcet's disease, Crohn disease, ulcer colitis and so on and, in addition, it preferably used for treats or preventions of a burn, an external wound, a fatigue, a hangover and a constipation to effect the maintenance of human health.
However, there is a problem that the conventional antioxidant composition contains the vegetable oil which is easily oxidized, so that the oxidized oil promotes to increase lipoperoxides with active oxygens to be suppressed in the living boy. The conventional antioxidant composition containing the vegetable oil restricts its activity for scavenging active oxygens and preventing the lipid peroxidation, itself.
Further, there is another problem that the conventional antioxidant composition is not easily digested to lie heavy on the stomach and brings pyrosis or heartburn according to the circumstances when people with a small secretion of the salivary and/or gastric juice such as the aged eat it, because of the added vegetable oil in the antioxidant composition.